


Owe

by Calsier



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types, Static Shock, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Career, Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-30 20:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15104612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calsier/pseuds/Calsier
Summary: You know you don't owe anybody anything, right?





	Owe

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not 100% sure where I was going with this, but I had fun writing it. Enjoy.

Virgil never paid much attention to Gotham’s architecture when he last paid a visit to this grim city. Too busy chasing down a classmate before they did something they regret, he failed to notice all the brick buildings and gargoyles and the back alleys. The back alleys that were so dark even on this sunny day, it was almost an illusion to the city’s temporary truce of peace. He glanced over a Bruce Wayne, the playboy, philanthropist, billionaire, and Batman. The man invited Richie, by extension, him, to come and take a look at his labs hoping to entice the teen into working for and eventually taking over his technology department when he graduates high school. 

Graduation...graduation was coming up soon and before he knows he’ll be an adult. To be fair, he had more responsibilities than an average teenager making him more of an adult than his peers, but the rest of the world didn’t know it or they at least speculated. 

Birmingham  
Tuscaloosa  
Phoenix  
Little Rock  
Chicago  
Cambridge

So many choices, so little time, he looked at Richie who already found a place and he was just floundering. How can he, Static Shock, be so anxious.

“You seemed troubled.” Virgil jumped as he looked around the breakfast table and saw that it was cleared out. Tim Drake, Red Robin, and he were the only ones left. 

Virgil picked up all the papers, the schools, the scholarships and threw them in a folder. 

“I decided to stop being Static Shock.” It was like ripping off a band-aid. Tim just blinked. 

Unsure of how to proceed they just stayed quiet for a while.

“How did your father take it?”

 

Virgil laughed, “Oh he rejoiced, he was so happy he knocked his chair down he was so happy.” Tim huffed a little. 

“And you?”

“I feel guilty,” Virgil said, his expression belying his apparent guilt. “Relieved maybe more. I did all I could to help my city, but the reality of it all is that I can’t do this forever. Or maybe I can. Either way, most of the meta-humans have returned to normal or had taken the cure. The only meta-humans out there are the ones that are dormant. There’s not much Rich and I can do now these days, the city is returning to its normal crime-filled way. It feels like we didn’t accomplish anything, but I’m satisfied.” He snorted.

“A lot of us put on these suits because we’re looking for something, revenge, answers, a sense of belonging, to be praised,” uttered with a look of disdain at the last one. “It’s very rare that somebody would do it simply because it’s the right thing to, we don’t live in that kind of world.” He almost seemed saddened by it. “However people like that exist, your mom, your dad, your sister, and you.” Tim sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t need to tell you that you did a good job, everybody can see it, hell even Batman admit that you did a good job for somebody who had no guidance.”

Virgil was stunned and a little flustered at the compliment. 

“What I’m just trying to say is that I think you owe it to yourself to take care of you,” Tim cleared his throat, embarrassed by the sentimentalism. “Trust me you’re not the first superhero to go on a sabbatical.”


End file.
